Following the publication in the Vanguard, on the issue of the so-called ‘withdrawal of Professor Emeritus’, I am forced to exercise my right of reply and to make some comments.

When Senator Pius Ewherido died prematurely in June 2013, the Urhobo people grieved and prayed that such a loss should not be their lot again. Unfortunately, just one year after, another Urhobo personage, General Patrick Aziza (rtd) fell to the Grim Reaper.

AS the Ebola virus grips an unprecedentedly wide swath of Africa, many are asking whether it is time to begin administering untested drugs and vaccines.

I HAVE followed the series of reactions trailing the disaster at the Synagogue Church of all Nations with a sense of shock and disbelief. It is as if some people have been waiting in the wings for the man of God to fail, forgetting that he is a mortal indeed, like the rest of us. No human can be God, so we must make our comments with a great sense of responsibility, in the spirit of fairness and objectivity.

WITH peremptory magistracy and awesome gallantry our founding fathers fought for the political independence of our glorious country, Nigeria. They were like the Roman hero Horatius, who fought with Spartan intrepidity in defending Rome from the Etruscan invaders. Horatius asked like our founding fathers: “And how can a man die better than facing fearful odds, for the ashes of his fathers, and the temples of his gods”?

AS Nigerians rolled out the drums and cymbals in celebration of the nation’s 54th Independence anniversary on October 1, 2014, expectations are rife that analysts will put several public officials on the spotlight on account of their stewardship.

THAT “the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government is the take-off point of Nigeria’s Federal Constitution section 14(c).”
But how this injunction is fulfilled by elected public officers, leaves much to be desired. Millions of Nigerians strongly believe that the political class has betrayed the people. That is the plank of this analysis of Chief Clement Tudonemem Ofuani’s appeal to the people of Delta State in his campaign slogan anchored on “the people first.”

SINCE the civilians took over government in 1999, we have had eight Inspector Generals of Police till date. They are Musiliu Smith (1999-2002), Mustapha Adebayo Balogun (March 2002- January 2005), Sunday Ehindero (2005-2007), Mike Mbama Okiro (2007-2009), Ogbonna Okechukwu Onovo (2009-2010), Hafiz Ringim (January 2010- 2012), Muhammed D. Abubakar(2012-2014) and Mr. Suleiman Abba 2014- till date. A keen observer will note that in some cases, some Inspector Generals of Police even introduced new uniforms during their tenure.

AS Ebonyi State marks her 18th anniversary of statehood, I congratulate all “Ebonyians” on this unique occasion. I urge all to reflect on the giant strides made by our able Governor Chief Martin Elechi in his bid to transform the state; keeping alive the dream of the founding fathers, I salute his patriotic and focused leadership qualities.

HOW time flies. It is seven years since I passed out of the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC. As usual mixed feelings enveloped my thoughts. I wanted a career in the banking sector or civil service or in a blue-chip company.